Planetarium novelty lamp



arch 24, 1959 A, H HARRiS `2,873,591

PLANETARIUM NOVELTY LAMP Filed Feb. 1'7, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l lSe @/340 A40 l FG-4.

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@D 33)W52 13d March 24, 1959 Af. H. HARRIS PLANETARIUM NQVELTY LAMP Filed Feb. 17, 1958 FIG. 6.

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United States Patent PLANETARIUM NOVELTY LAMP Arnold H. Harris, Santa Clara County, Calif.

Application February 17, 1958, Serial No. 715,673

3 Claims. (Cl. 35-45) This invention relates generally to the class of educational ornaments or devices. In particular it is directed to a planetarium made in the form of a novelty lamp with moving parts especially designed to be propelled by a novel adaptation of an air vortex generated by the heat of a domestic incandescent lamp.

An object of the invention is to provide a supporting base containing an incandescent lamp and an entrance ue for maintaining a column of warm air so that the atmospheric pressure difference between the two ends of Athe liuc will effect a rising air current.

Another object of the invention is to provide a deflector at the top end of the entrance flue for the purpose of deecting the rising air current into a spiraling outward motion.

Another object of the invention is to provide a transparent shell symmetrically with respect to a central vertical axis (and preferably spherical in shape), spotted with constellations, to represent the celestial sphere of the heavens, to house the centrally located planetarium proper, and to conine the rotating air mass from the time the latter passes through the deflector to the time it leaves the shell through the exit.

Another object of the invention is to provide an air exit which may be in the form of the lower end of a circular cylinder extending vertically downward through an opening in the top of the celestial sphere to a suitable distance above the .center of the sphere.

Another object of the invention is to provide a planetarium proper centrally located inside the celestial sphere. Thisconsists of balls representing the sun and as many 'of its planets as desired, and means of supporting the balls in such a manner that the planet `balls can move independently of each other in co-planer concentric circles about the sun ball located at their common center which point is at the center of the celestial sphere. Consequently each planet is propelled approximately at its proper relative angular speed 'about the sun by the air vortex compositely effected about the exit opening by objects indicated in the above paragraphs.

Other objects will become apparent by reference to the accompanying drawings and to the detailed description to follow. In such drawings:

Figure l is a view in side elevation illustrating a planetarium novelty lamp embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a central vertical longitudinal section through the entire length.

' 'Figure 3 is a perspective, enlarged, disassembled view of a four-planet planetarium proper.

"Figure 4 is a top view of a yoke of the planetarium proper.

1 Figure 5 is a plan view of the lamp rack.

' Figure 6 is a perspective enlarged view of the deflector.

Let us now refer in greater detail to the drawing. Numeral 1 designates a transparent shell-like hollow container studded with constellations 11, and shown here to be spherical in shape but conceivably may be ot other ICC shapes, and which henceforth will be referred to as the celestial sphere. In order to facilitate access to the parts within, the celestial sphere 1 is made into an upper hemisphere 2 and a lower hemisphere 3, detachably connected to each other at junction 18. Junction 18 also helps to delineate the plane of orbit motion of the planets inside. of the sphere may be devised. Tongues 19, which may be a material continuation of either the upper or lower hemisphere, are placed in sufficient number around the junction 18 for the purpose of holding the two hemispheres together when in the normal upright position. In the placeoftongues 19, a continuous lip or some other device may be employed. The shell, of suitable thickness, is meant to be made primarily of transparent plastic, but may be made of glass. Constellations 11 may be of luminous or fluorescent lacquer or the like applied to the inside surface of the shell.

Permanently joined at junction 16 to the perimeter of a circular opening 21 in the top of the hemisphere 2 is a transparent, circular cylinder open at both ends, called the exit air duct 7, which extends vertically downward into the celestial sphere 1 to a suitable distance to ybe designated below and providing exit opening 8. Exit duct 7 may be a material continuation of the hemisphere 2 or the two may be separately constructed and then cemented together with a suitable substance. The duct 7 may extend to some distance above the top of the sphere 1 to strengthen the air current if desired.

Permanently joined by means of a suitable substance (or detachably connected by suitable means if desired) at junction 17 to the perimeter of a circular opening in the bottom of the hemisphere 3 is the base d. This base 4 lends itself to a relatively large exibility of design in shape or material or lighting elTects. It is shown here to be a right conical shell, of translucent or opaque heat resistant plastic or laminate of plastic-glass fiber or the like, of suitable thickness to support the weight above. This design of base also serves as the entrance ilue for the purpose of maintaining, in conjunction with the heat of the lamp, a rising air current; other designs may require an additional pipe-like structure. A dust ilter may be provided in the base.

Underneath and elevating base 4 to provide an air opening 20 is a three-pronged rack 23 or the like. The rack 23 shown here is completely separable from the base 4, but may be detachably connected to the base. Either method gives access to the lamp 27 inside the base 4. The rack may be a standard lampshade rack of metal, reshaped if necessary as shown in the drawing so as to receive the bottom of the base 4 at prong bend 32, and to receive the feet 22 which are balls made of plastic or Wood or the like. The feet 22 are permanently attached to the ends of the arms of the rack 23 by some suitable means such as by cement. The feet 22, in part, serve to elevate the base so as to provide an air opening 20. To the rack ring 29 is ixed upright a standard lamp socket 2S containing a standard domestic electric lamp 27 to which electric current is conducted by the electric line cord 24. Thro-ugh a hole 30 in the base 4 extends the switch rod 26. The hole 30 is large enough for'the switch knob 25 to pass freely through. The magnitude of the wattage of lamp 27 necessary to operate the plane-y tarium proper 31 depends upon the sizes and shapes of various parts, materials of construction, length of flue, and other factors. A watt l-amp is suicient, say, for an 8 or l0 inch diameter sphere. Other modes of constructing the lamprack assembly may be devised'.

At the opening 35 is placed a deector 6 which purpose` is to deect the rising air current from thev base 4 toward the inside surface of sphere 1, at the same time giving the air current a rotating motion about the vertical However, other means of access to the interior f diameter of sphere 1. This detlector may be Windmill shaped as is shown lin perspective in Figure 6, or may be of some other suitable shape which will give the same effect. It may be transparent throughout or may be partly opaque or translucent and may have a transparent window 36 in its center so that the sun 12 only may be illuminated by lamp 27, which sun may in turn illuminate the planets and constellations; other schemes of designing the deflector 6 in combination with base 4 to produce various lighting effects may be devised. If made separate from the hemisphere 3, the deilector 6 may be cemented to the inside surface of the hemisphere 3 at opening 35 at appropriate points such as the outside ends of the bases 38 of the blades 37.

The planetarium proper 31, referring to everything suspended by support 10, provides for as many as desired or practicable of the nine planets of the solar system in addition to the sun; four planets 13a, 13b, 13C, 13d, referred to as a group by the numeral 13, and the sun 12 are illustrated in the drawings, representing, say, respectively Mars, earth, Venus, and Mercury. These planets 13 and sun 12 are spherical, hollow or solid balls made of some suitable light material such as paper, plastic foam or the like, suitably painted (for example, with luminous or fluorescent paint or lacquer), and may be roughly of relative sizes corresponding to the relative sizes of the planets and sun in the real solar system. Planets 13 are permanently attached by suitable means, such as by cement, each to one of the two ends of thin yokes 14 shaped with relative lengths as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The largest yoke may be, say, approximately one third the length of the diameter of the sphere 1. The yokes 14 may be made of light, stil, non-magnetic wire such as aluminum or magnesium. The circular center portion 34 of each yoke 14 has an inside diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the small steel balls 15 (which maybe approximately one eighth inch in diameter). These steel balls 15, all of the same size, are suspended in a vertical column along the vertical diameter of the sphere 1 by permanent magnet 9, forming what may be termed the differential axis. Each of the circular center portions 34 of yokes 14 rests on one of the four lower steel balls 15 and is balanced horizontally under the pull of gravity by counter weights 33 (other means of attachment of the arms to the steel balls may be devised), the shortest yoke being placed on the lowest steel ball, the next shortest yoke on the next lowest steel ball, and so on. The counter weights 33 may be thin transparent squares or circles of sheet plastic or the like, each oriented in the plane of the two arms of the yoke to which it is permanently attached. Counter weights in this form serve also as aids in propelling the yokes with their attached planets in concentric horizontal circles around the sun 12 which is located at the center of the circles. The sun 12 is cemented to the lowest steel ball, or some other means of support may be devised. Since there is less friction between each pair of steel balls held in contact by the magnet than there is friction between each yoke and its supporting steel ball, each ball rotates with the yoke which it supports. The counterweights 33 in the form described above, being transparent are not noticeably visible. Also the yokes 14, being thin wire or the like, or possibly clear plastic rod, are also not noticeably visible compared with the opaque planets and sun. The cylinder 7, with the magnet 9 located in the center of its lower end, extends down into the sphere to such a distance that the sun 12 is located at the center of the sphere 1 while the planets 13 are all in the horizontal plane passing through the sun 12. The size, shape, and strength of the magnet may vary with the number of planets and total weight suspended. A small, cylindrical, dipole magnet is shown here, and it suspends itself by clinging to the iron or steel wire or the like support which in turn is attached 4 to cylinder 7 by clear cement or to holes 39 in cylinder 7 or by other suitable means.

The operation of the device may now be described: Electric current to the lamp 27 is switched on by switch 25. The surfaces of the lamp 27 and the base 4 become heated, which in turn heat the air inside the base. This heated air column, being lighter than the external air, rises. As it passes through the opening 35 it is detlected toward the inside surface of the sphere 1, and at the same time it is given a rotating motion about the vertical diameter of the sphere. This rotating motion is maintained as the air rises to the vicinity of junction 18, where it turns and spirals inwardly in the form of a vortex as it moves toward the exit 8; as the air does so move it increases in angular speed about the vertical diameter, which speed is roughly inversely proportional to the distance from the said vertical diameter. Consequently the planets are propelled by the vortex to move in coplanar, concentric horizontal circular orbits with relative angular speeds approximately inversely proportional to their distances from the sun.

I claim:

l. In a novelty lamp planetarium: a transparent spherical shell with a severing cut around its horizontal great circle to form an upper and a lower hemisphere, said upper hemisphere having a circular opening around its top point and said lower hemisphere having a circular opening around its bottom point; a series of transparent tongues placed around the said cut and secured to the inside of said upper hemisphere and protruding downward into and against the inside surface of said lower hemisphere, said tongues acting to hold thetwo hemispheres together in air-tight relation; spots of coloring matter studded on the inside surface of said spherical shell in the same relative positions as are the stars n the constellations of the heavens; a transparent hollow circular cylinder open at both ends, which said cylinder extends vertically downward inside the spherical shell to the vicinity of the center of said spherical shell, the top end of said cylinder being connected in air-tight relation with the perimeter of said opening in the top of said upper hemisphere; a planetarium proper centrally located inside said spherical shell immediately underneath the bottom opening of said cylinder and comprising Aa differential axis coinciding with the vertical diameter of said shell, said differential axis supporting elements which can rotate freely and independently of each other about said differential axis, each said element connected to and supporting by means of an arm a ball representing a planet, such that when rotation occurs said planet balls revolve in circular concentric horizontal orbits, one ball to each orbit, with a common center at the center of said shell, at which center is located another but larger ball representing the sun; a hollow cone open at both ends, the smaller and top opening communicating in air-tight relation with said bottom opening of said spherical shell; an incandescent lamp and lamp rack, located inside of and adapted to receive the larger and bottom opening of said cone and supporting said cone to an elevated position to provide an air passage into said cone; a windmill shaped dellector secured inside the opening defining the junction of said cone with said spherical shell, said detlector acting to deflect the rising air current, generated by the heat of said incandescent lamp, rotation-wise about the vertical diameter of, and along the inside surface of said spherical shell, said air current turning upon reaching the vicinity of said cut and spiraling inward toward and out through said bottom opening of said cylinder, thereby creating a vortex in the vicinity of the plane of motion of said revolving planet balls, said vortex propelling said balls at velocities of magnitude approximately inversely proportional to their respective distances from the center of said spherical shell.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, with the elements of said diierential axis comprised of small spherical while to the end of the opposite arm of each said yoke steel balls suspended in a single column along the vertiis attached a counter weight, so that each yoke is symcal axis of said sphere shell by a permanent magnet fixed mel'ally balanced Undef the attraction 0f gfaVfY- at the center of said bottom opening of said cylinder by References Cited in the me of this patent support attachments to said cyllnder. 5

3. The invention as defined in claim 2, with said arms UNITED STATES PATENTS connecting the planet balls with said dierential axis ele- 1,077,202 Moffett et al Oct. 28, 1913 ments in the form of yokes, each yoke being shaped at 1,600,966 Adair Sept. 28, 1926 its middle and high point to t snugly under its Weight lo 1,770,820 TOmaSeVlCh July 15, 1930 around the upper half of said steel ball; to the end of 1,952,024 Russert Ma 20 1934 one arm of each said yoke is attached a said planet ball, 

